Vela Pulsar:
Chandra Reveals a Compact Nebula Created by a Shooting Neutron Star

Credit: NASA/PSU/G.Pavlov et al.

Chandra image of compact nebula
around Vela pulsar. The image shows a dramatic
bow-like structure at the leading edge of the cloud, or
nebula, embedded in the Vela supernova remnant. This
bow and the smaller one inside it, are thought to be
the near edges of tilted rings of X-ray emission from
high-energy particles produced by the central neutron
star. Perpendicular to the bows are jets that emanate
from the central pulsar, or neutron star. As indicated
by the green arrow, the jets point in the same
direction as the motion of the pulsar. The swept back
appearance of the nebula is due to the motion of the
pulsar through the supernova remnant.

The rings are thought to represent shock waves due to
matter rushing away from the neutron star. More focused
flows at the neutron star's polar regions produce the
jets. The origin of this activity is thought to be
enormous electric fields caused by the combination of
the rapid rotation and intense magnetic fields of the
neutron star.